Windsor and Severance are considering this area for revenue and influence sharing ahead of development of Colorado Highway 257 and Weld County Road 74. / Courtesy of the Town of Windsor

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Although there is no development yet at the corner of Weld County Road 74 and Colorado Highway 257, Windsor and Severance are going to be ready when it comes.

The two boards met Monday in a joint work session to discuss an intergovernmental agreement that would lay out land uses and revenue sharing on that corner, which is an entryway into both communities.

“This agreement has its roots in previous agreements we’ve made,” said Town Attorney Ian McCargar. “The revenue sharing is identical, and the permitted land-use concepts are really similar to the I-25 (Interstate 25 and Colorado Highway 392) agreement.”

The idea of proactive planning and collaboration between the two municipalities is something residents in that area can get behind.

“The way the cities (Windsor and Severance) have been keeping us informed is great,” said Ellie Potts, a homeowner in the Valley View Terrace neighborhood at that intersection.

Patti Meuwissen, another homeowner in the neighborhood, agreed.

“It’s certainly nice to see the collaboration between the cities,” she said.

However, Meuwissen and her neighbors are not technically represented by either municipality.

“We’re in Windsor’s growth management area, but we’re not in Windsor yet,” she said. “We’re in Weld County.”

That’s something that causes some concern.

“We’d like to see the residents in the area who are in Weld County represented in the discussion as well,” she said.

Specifically, Meuwissen said she was interested in seeing Windsor’s planning commission dedicate a seat on that board for a Windsor-area Weld County resident.

“Right now, I couldn’t serve because I’m not a resident of Windsor,” Meuwissen said. “I would really appreciate that level of representation.”

Both women feel Windsor and Severance have done a good job reaching out to county residents in this instance, although Meuwissen said sometimes it doesn’t feel that the towns understand the point of view of their county neighbors.

“Things are a little different out here,” she said.

One thing that is not specifically addressed in the draft agreement is sanitary sewer in that area.

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“Windsor has been fairly rigid in its policy about having no septic sewer,” said Windsor Mayor John Vazquez during Monday’s meeting. “So I think that by leaving that out of this and continuing to negotiate, we can identify different ways to get utility service in that area.”

The agreement also lays out a list of permitted uses in the corridor, which includes greenhouses, supermarkets, child care centers and myriad other uses.

“Why should we even bother delineating the uses at all, and just say all of them are subject to both parties’ agreements?” asked Windsor board member Jeremy Rose.

Jim Birdsall, Severance town planner, said he thought the list was intended to be very flexible.

“Things will change,” he said. “New uses will come up, and other uses may be modified.”

There has also been discussion at the planning commission level about creating design standards for the intersection, with a unified theme for lighting, Birdsall said.

“That’s a great idea,” said Severance Mayor Don Brookshire. “I think it definitely improves the whole intersection if there’s a common theme.”

Both Meuwissen and Potts were cautious about the list of uses.

“Our lives will be affected by this, and it really depends on what goes in out there,” Potts said. “There’s a lot of options right now.”

Meuwissen said she and her neighbors understood that change was going to come to the area, which is currently residential.

“We’re just asking for their consideration during this process,” she said. “That’s why I’d like to see a seat on the planning board for Weld County residents; we could do it on a trial, per-term basis.”